[Effects of dexmedetomidine combined with fentanyl in patients undergoing anesthesia induction by sevoflurane].

Objective: To investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine combined with fentanyl in patients undergoing anesthesia induction by sevoflurane.

Method: Eighty patients for elective endotracheal intubation under general anesthesia operations were randomly and double-blindly divided into Dex combined with fentanyl group (Group DF) and the fentanyl group (Group F) from April 2011 to September 2011 at the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, and there were 40 cases in each group. The investigation was approved by all the patients and by the Ethics Committee of the hospital.

Development of a novel optical biosensor for detection of organophosphorus pesticides based on methyl parathion hydrolase immobilized by metal-chelate affinity.

We have developed a novel optical biosensor device using recombinant methyl parathion hydrolase (MPH) enzyme immobilized on agarose by metal-chelate affinity to detect organophosphorus (OP) compounds with a nitrophenyl group. The biosensor principle is based on the optical measurement of the product of OP catalysis by MPH (p-nitrophenol). Briefly, MPH containing six sequential histidines (6 × His tag) at its N-terminal was bound to nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) agarose with Ni ions, resulting in the flexible immobilization of the bio-reaction platform.

Transcriptional activation of yeast genes disrupts intragenic nucleosome phasing.

Nucleosomes often undergo extensive rearrangement when genes are activated for transcription. We have shown previously, using paired-end sequencing of yeast nucleosomes, that major changes in chromatin structure occur when genes are activated by 3-aminotriazole (3AT), an inducer of the transcriptional activator Gcn4. Here, we provide a global analysis of these data.

Identification of resistant carboxylesterase alleles in Culex pipiens complex via PCR-RFLP.

Background: Carboxylesterase overproduction is a frequently observed resistance mechanism of insects to organophosphate insecticides. As a major transmitter of human diseases, mosquitoes in the Culex pipiens complex have evolved 13 carboxylesterase alleles (Ester) that confer organophosphate resistance. Six alleles, Ester(B1), Ester², Ester⁸, Ester⁹, Ester(B10), and Ester¹¹, have been observed in field populations in China, sometimes co-existing in one population.

Noncoding RNAs binding to the nucleoid protein HU in Escherichia coli.

Some unidentified RNA molecules, together with the nucleoid protein HU, were suggested to be involved in the nucleoid structure of Escherichia coli. HU is a conserved protein known for its role in binding to DNA and maintaining negative supercoils in the latter. HU also binds to a few RNAs, but the full spectrum of its binding targets in the cell is not known.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in domestic animals in ten provinces/cities of China.

A nationwide epidemiologic investigation of domestic animal infections has been conducted in nine provinces and one city during 2007-2010. Serum samples from a total of 707 goats, 433 cattle, and 219 dogs were collected for detecting Anaplasma phagocytophilum IgG antibody by immunofluorescence assays and the average seroprevalences were 10.05% for dogs, 3.

Translocation of HSP27 into liver cancer cell nucleus may be associated with phosphorylation and O-GlcNAc glycosylation.

It has been reported that the dynamic interplay between O-GlcNAcylation and O-phosphorylation is responsible for altering the activity or localization of heat-shock proteins. The aim of this study was to determine whether dynamic interplay between O-GlcNAcylation and O-phosphorylation of HSP27 in hepatocellular cancer (HCC) cells affect its entry into the nucleus. We demonstrate that the entry of HSP27 into the nucleus correlated with its phosphorylation through transfecting HCC cells with plasmids coding for wild-type HSP27 (HSP27-WT), its non-phosphorylatable (HSP27-3A) and pseudophosphorylated (HSP27-3D) mutants, however, not all of the endogenous or exogenous nuclear HSP27 was modified by phosphorylation.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, Shandong Province, China.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome, which results in severe illness and has a high case-fatality rate, is caused by a novel bunyavirus, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus. We found that samples from 2/237 (0.8%) healthy persons and 111/134 (83%) goats in Yiyuan County, Shandong Province, China, were seropositive for this virus.

Polymorphism and methylation of four genes expressed in salivary glands of Russian wheat aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae).

DNA methylation is a general epigenetic mechanism for plants, animals, and fungi to adapt to environmental variation. Two biotypes of the Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia), Biotype 1 and Biotype 2, have different virulence to host plants. In this study, in addition to a high polymorphism, DNA methylation at cytosines were observed in genomic fragments of four genes in Biotype 1 and Biotype 2, after the genomic DNA was treated with sodium bisulfite.

Identification of a novel mutation in FAD2B from a peanut EMS mutant with elevated oleate content.

A Virginia type peanut mutant with more than 60% oleate content (E2-4-83-12) was selected from an EMS mutagenized population of LF2 (an export type peanut cultivar with 44.2% oleate) by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy. Cloning and sequencing of FAD2B from LF2 and E2-4-83-12 identified a novel mutation (C313T in the coding region) causing an H105Y substitution in the first histidine box of the FAD2B protein.

Design, fabrication and levitation experiments of a micromachined electrostatically suspended six-axis accelerometer.

A micromachined electrostatically suspended six-axis accelerometer, with a square plate as proof mass housed by a top stator and bottom stator, is presented. The device structure and related techniques concerning its operating principles, such as calculation of capacitances and electrostatic forces/moments, detection and levitation control of the proof mass, acceleration measurement, and structural parameters design, are described. Hybrid MEMS manufacturing techniques, including surface micromachining fabrication of thin film electrodes and interconnections, integration fabrication of thick nickel structures about 500 μm using UV-LIGA by successful removal of SU-8 photoresist mold, DRIE of silicon proof mass in thickness of 450 μm, microassembly and solder bonding, were employed to fabricate this prototype microdevice.

Arabidopsis ubiquitin conjugase UBC32 is an ERAD component that functions in brassinosteroid-mediated salt stress tolerance.

Plants modify their growth and development to protect themselves from detrimental conditions by triggering a variety of signaling pathways, including the activation of the ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation pathway. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated protein degradation (ERAD) is an important aspect of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, but only a few of the active ERAD components have been reported in plants. Here, we report that the Arabidopsis thaliana ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, UBC32, a stress-induced functional ubiquitin conjugation enzyme (E2) localized to the ER membrane, connects the ERAD process and brassinosteroid (BR)-mediated growth promotion and salt stress tolerance.

Correlation between carboxylesterase alleles and insecticide resistance in Culex pipiens complex from China.

Background: In China, large amounts of chemical insecticides are applied in fields or indoors every year, directly or indirectly bringing selection pressure on vector mosquitoes. Culex pipiens complex has evolved to be resistant to all types of chemical insecticides, especially organophosphates, through carboxylesterases. Six resistant carboxylesterase alleles (Ester) were recorded previously and sometimes co-existed in one field population, representing a complex situation for the evolution of Ester genes.

Construction of a genetically engineered microorganism that simultaneously degrades organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides.

Field contamination with pesticide mixtures of organophosphates (OPs) and organochlorines (OCs) is becoming global issues to be solved urgently. The strategy of utilizing engineered microorganisms that have an ability to simultaneously degrade OPs and OCs has increasingly received great interest. In this work, an OP degradation gene (mpd) and an OC degradation gene (linA) were simultaneously introduced into Escherichia coli by using two compatible plasmids, resulting in strains with both OP degradation and OC degradation capabilities.

POD1 regulates pollen tube guidance in response to micropylar female signaling and acts in early embryo patterning in Arabidopsis.

The pollen tube germinates from pollen and, during its migration, it perceives and responds to guidance cues from maternal tissue and from the female gametophyte. The putative female cues have recently been identified, but how the pollen tube responds to these signals remains to be unveiled. In a genetic screen for male determinants of the pollen tube response, we identified the pollen defective in guidance1 (pod1) mutant, in which the pollen tubes fail to target the female gametophyte.

Regulation of NMDA receptor subunits after acute ethanol treatment in rat brain.

Aims: Tolerance to ethanol-induced inhibition of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) is thought to underlie the acute adaptive mechanisms against ethanol. To explore these compensatory upregulating mechanisms of NMDARs, we investigated the expression and phosphorylation of NMDAR subunits in vivo following an acute ethanol treatment.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given 4 g/kg ethanol, and the phospho-S896-NR1, NR2A and NR2B subunits of NMDAR were immunoblotted from the cerebral cortex and hippocampus.

A bacterial PriB with weak single-stranded DNA binding activity can stimulate the DNA unwinding activity of its cognate PriA helicase.

Background: Bacterial DNA replication restart pathways facilitate reinitiation of DNA replication following disruptive encounters of a replisome with DNA damage, thereby allowing complete and faithful duplication of the genome. In Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the primosome proteins that catalyze DNA replication restart differ from the well-studied primosome proteins of E. coli with respect to the number of proteins involved and the affinities of their physical interactions: the PriA:PriB interaction is weak in E.

Investigation of anaplasmosis in Yiyuan County, Shandong Province, China.

Objective: To investigate the situation of anaplasmosis in Yiyuan county, Shandong Province.

Methods: A total of 26 blood samples from febrile patients suspected of anaplasmosis, 48 blood samples from healthy farmers, 8 from dogs, and 10 from goats and 170 ticks were collected in the same area during 2005-2007, and detected by serological and molecular methods.

Results: Eight confirmed cases and 6 probable cases were determined using serologic and molecular methods.

Predicted effector molecules in the salivary secretome of the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum): a dual transcriptomic/proteomic approach.

The relationship between aphids and their host plants is thought to be functionally analogous to plant-pathogen interactions. Although virulence effector proteins that mediate plant defenses are well-characterized for pathogens such as bacteria, oomycetes, and nematodes, equivalent molecules in aphids and other phloem-feeders are poorly understood. A dual transcriptomic-proteomic approach was adopted to generate a catalog of candidate effector proteins from the salivary glands of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum.

Impact of Alu repeats on the evolution of human p53 binding sites.

Background: The p53 tumor suppressor protein is involved in a complicated regulatory network, mediating expression of ~1000 human genes. Recent studies have shown that many p53 in vivo binding sites (BSs) reside in transposable repeats. The relationship between these BSs and functional p53 response elements (REs) remains unknown, however.

The endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation is necessary for plant salt tolerance.

Eukaryotic organisms have quality-control mechanisms that allow misfolded or unassembled proteins to be retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and subsequently degraded by ER-associated degradation (ERAD). The ERAD pathway is well studied in yeast and mammals; however, the biological functions of plant ERAD have not been reported. Through molecular and cellular biological approaches, we found that ERAD is necessary for plants to overcome salt stress.

Two single mutations commonly cause qualitative change of nonspecific carboxylesterases in insects.

Carboxylesterases provide key mechanisms of resistance to insecticides, particularly organophosphates (OPs), in insects. One resistance mechanism is a qualitative change in the properties of a carboxylesterase. Two mutant forms, G151D and W271L, have been observed, mostly in dipteran species, to affect substrate specificity of enzymes.

Structure-based analysis of DNA sequence patterns guiding nucleosome positioning in vitro.

Recent studies of genome-wide nucleosomal organization suggest that the DNA sequence is one of the major determinants of nucleosome positioning. Although the search for underlying patterns encoded in nucleosomal DNA has been going on for about 30 years, our knowledge of these patterns still remains limited. Based on our evaluations of DNA deformation energy, we developed new scoring functions to predict nucleosome positioning.

Diagnostic dilemma of abdominopelvic tuberculosis:a series of 20 cases.

Objective: To establish more effective diagnostic procedures to identify the characteristic features of abdominopelvic tuberculosis (APTB) mimicking advanced ovarian cancer.

Methods: A retrospective review of 20 cases of APTB mimicking advanced ovarian cancer was undertaken.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 28.